Copers Cope Area Residents' Association (CCARA) & West Beckenham Residents' Association (WBRA)
Two residents' associations working together across Beckenham on your behalf
Starting on Monday 4 February, young people in Beckenham (and Bromley) can access a free, anonymous, online mental health and emotional wellbeing support. NHS South East London has commissioned XenZone’s online counselling service, Kooth, for an initial period of 14 months to provide the service. Read the news via NHS Bromley Clinical Commissioning Group and check out the service provided at Kooth.
To find out about scams and how you can protect yourself and others from becoming a victim of scams, enjoy some free training and a free lunch at these ‘bite-size’ awareness sessions.
Everyone welcome – especially those who visit or work with older and vulnerable members of our community.
Wednesday 13th February and Tuesday 12th March at Civic Centre, BR1 3UH.
In case you’re wondering why there are barriers along the top of the wall fronting NatWest bank as far as Junction restaurant: they are there because of electrical works being carried out to adjust a few issues found during the testing period for the colour uplighters.
When fully functioning these lights will make a great feature of that section of our historic High Street.
At the recent Safer Neighbourhood Panel (SNP) meeting it was reported by our local Police that the Copers Cope Ward has been suffering a high spike in burglaries recently making it the worst hit area in the Borough.
Many of the burglaries have taken place during the day while residents are on the school run or at work, and most have been in blocks of flats. Our local police team has been putting tremendous effort into reversing this unfortunate trend. Our three officers have been joined by colleagues from Kelsey Park & Shortlands, and Clock House in patrolling the worst hit roads, and Transport Police have been creating a higher presence around our stations.
Our officers are planning to hold street briefings in the worst affected streets in the near future and would be happy to attend Residents’ Association meetings to discuss these problems – we look forward to welcoming them to our annual public meeting at 8pm 20 March 2019 (Beckenham Public Halls). Posters with the message ‘Thieves Beware’ are to be distributed for displaying on entry doors, leaflets with prevention advice have been dropped to all residences in roads that have had a burglary.
There are ways residents can take active measures to prevent burglaries:
But there’s an upside to everything – there were many new faces at the recent Copers Cope Safer Neighbourhood Panel meeting. They are most welcome, and we hope they all become regular members. Anyone wishing to join the Copers Cope SNP, give contact details of Residents’ Associations or of block management committees, should drop an email to coperscope.SNT@met.police.uk
Beckenham’s Christmas Extravaganza starts off tomorrow with free coffee and cakes (while stocks last). Arrive on Beckenham Green for 12.30 to join Cllr Tickner and members of Working Party (made up of local residents) to mark the completion of Beckenham Town Centre Improvements and open the towns festivities.
Stay on the Green to enjoy the Primary School Choir Competition, live entertainment, delicious street food, market, children’s fair and activities and more.
Kids activities
Lots to do on the day for kids.
Live Entertainment – 12.30 to 17.30
Candlelit Parade (4.30pm start)
Muster for the Beckenham Christmas Candlelit Parade on Croydon Road Recreation Ground. The Parade will leave at 4.30 pm and make its way to Beckenham Green for the light switch on. Not one to miss as you walk through the town with Father Christmas and Elves to Christmas songs and bands. Beautiful candlelit lanterns free for all. Check out the Shane Hampshire Swing Band outside Kelsey House.
Stalls
The Market opens at midday with stalls of local produce and craft, hot food, mulled wine and beer. A perfect chance to purchase some gifts, pick up some essentials and enjoy some lunch. Confirmed so far.
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Above details were correct at time of writing but may be subject to change.
Our local police have provided the following advice so that everyone can protect themselves during the darker winter months and Christmas shopping season.
Be aware of your belongings when in crowded shopping centres/streets. Keep purses and mobile phones secure in zipped bags and pockets. – Put your purse or wallet away before leaving the till, do not let staff or other customers rush you. – Take care at the ATM – be wary of people standing too close for comfort. For extra security you can use the cash points located inside the bank. – Try not to store valuable goods in your car, if you must drop off shopping – keep all items hidden in the boot.
During the winter months, we see a rise in burglary as it gets darker earlier. Below are some general security and safety measures recommended by our local police for everyone to take in order to protect themselves and make their home less of a target and less accessible to burglars.
Beckenham’s annual Christmas School Choir Competition is back. This year choirs from Harris Primary Academy Beckenham Green, Worsley Bridge Primary, and Harris Primary Academy Beckenham are competing.
Come down to the Beckenham Green on 1st December to support them and enjoy Beckenham’s Christmas extravaganza – Christmas market, kids activities, festive entertainment, fun fair, candlelit parade, light switch on and community sing-a-long.
Entertainment on Stage (Beckenham Green)
Candlelit Parade
Muster for the Beckenham Christmas Candlelit Parade on Croydon Road Recreation Ground from 4pm. The Parade will leave at 4.30 pm and make its way to Beckenham Green for the light switch on. Not one to miss as you walk through the town with Father Christmas and Elves to Christmas songs and bands. Beautiful candlelit lanterns free for all. Check out the Shane Hampshire Swing Band, outside Kelsey House details beckenhambusinessassociation.co.uk
Light switch on and community sing-a-long
On Beckenham Green for the Christmas light switch on and count down for the Copers Cope Residents’ Association spectacular Christmas tree lighting. Finish the day with the infamous Christmas Community Sing-a-long.
For more details of the days festivities click here.
The Purple Flag scheme gives official recognition to town centres which are judged to have a vibrant, safe and well-managed evening economy. Beckenham has had a Purple Flag since 2016 and has now been successful in renewing the accreditation. The team behind the application is a great example of local representatives from a variety of sectors and organisations – Copers Cope Area and West Beckenham Residents’ Associations, licensed traders, the Council, businesses, the Police, etc. – working together. The scheme’s report said that Beckenham was the best example they had seen of positive residents’ engagement and private and public partnership in a Purple Flag assessment. Marsha Berg from the Copers Cope Area Residents’ Association and Marie Pender from the West Beckenham Residents’ Association were specifically congratulated for their project leadership and commitment to getting the Purple Flag accreditation renewed.
In the photo, Marie and Marsha are receiving the flag at the PF Awards in Chippenham on 8 November from Sarah Walker (Programme Manager ACTM Purple Flag/ENTE) and Jeremy Rucker (City Dressing).
Please do be aware that overnight resurfacing work will be taking place from Tuesday 20th November. This work will be carried out over 5 nights and should be completed by 05:00am on the morning of Tuesday 27th November. Work should start by 8pm every evening and could continue until 5am the following morning. However, these dates/timings are subject to changes due to performance and weather. Work will initially consist of the existing road surface being taken or ‘planed’ off, with a new surface then re-laid, with the ‘planing’ being the noisier element.
The works will be carried out in two sections:
To facilitate this work, The High Street will be closed from 8:00pm between Albemarle Road Junction with The High Street and The Odeon Roundabout. Through traffic will be required to follow diversions. Buses will be on diversion also. For more information please visit https://tfl.gov.uk/bus/status/ Marshals will be in attendance to enable essential vehicular access to properties, although pedestrian access will be available throughout. The road will re-open from 5:00am the following morning on all given dates.
Parking suspensions will be in place. We do understand the inconvenience this may cause, but we would be grateful if you could avoid parking on The High Street throughout the duration of the works. Any cars obstructing the works may be relocated to an adjoining road.
Warning; hot bitumen bonding agent is laid during these works and could therefore cause damage to your vehicle. Once on your tyres the residue may transfer to paths and drives.
We anticipate all noisy work to be completed by midnight, with only deliveries of new materials after that.
As this is a major road, which is extremely busy in the daytime, there is no option but to carry out this work at night, but we are mindful of residents and the impact on town centre, visitors and businesses.
We will endeavour to keep noise to a minimum as far as possible. Again, we do apologise for any inconvenience or disturbance caused during this period.
At the end of the night work, the road surface along this stretch of The High Street will have been greatly improved from the current condition, with the overall town centre improvement initiative making Beckenham a more attractive and safer place for residents, visitors and businesses.
Should you have any questions regarding these works please do not hesitate to contact either of the following: –
F. M. Conway – Mr. Paul Padfield 01732 600 700 paul.padfield@fmconway.co.uk or London Borough of Bromley on 020 8313 4940 major.works@bromley.gov.uk
Latest Beckenham Place Park news and events, from Lewisham Council |
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Update on works in the park
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Works are progressing well. We have now almost finished excavating the lake, which will be filled after Christmas. The foliage surrounding the lake will be planted in spring.
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The landscape contractors are restoring the natural contours of the land in front of the Mansion and are beginning to lay paths in the new pleasure grounds. Work on the garden will start in January 2019.
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Many park users are enjoying the new path leading to the Foxgrove and Summerhouse Hill Wood from Beckenham Place Park Road. This will be a particular help as the ground becomes wetter over the winter.
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Restoration of the stableyard, with its homestead building (dating to the 1770s) and the stableyard cottages, is on track to be completed in May. The newly created clock tower is now on the roof, faithfully recreating a historic feature in the landscape. The builders are painstakingly restoring the homesteads, even to the extent of matching the original Georgian mortar! We were also delighted to find some original flooring intact, which we will keep.
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Upcoming events
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23 October, from 10am
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Tuesdays, 10.30–11.30am
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Sundays, 12 noon–3pm
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Get involved
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There are many volunteering opportunities – please contact lucy.mitchell@lewisham.gov.uk if you are interested.
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Regular volunteering
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Wednesdays, 10am–1pm. Meet outside the café at the Mansion. We will mainly be doing woodland management during autumn and winter. Tools, tea, coffee and biscuits provided!
Please note: no session on Wednesday 24 October.
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Further update on short extension of Beckenham Improvements work, courtesy of F M Conway, contractor for the works
The work which was planned to last for approximately one week from 15 October has proved more challenging than expected, due to the location. For this reason a further week is required to complete it and as a result bus stop E will be closed for a further week.
For more information on a possible temporary relocation of this bus stop or the next available stop, please visit: tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/temporary-bus-changes
Beckenham Improvements work update courtesy of F M Conway, contractor for the works
Following observations from the local community, additional works, which were not planned in the original design, have been commissioned by the London Borough of Bromley.
Please be aware therefore that F M Conway will be carrying out work in Bromley Road throughout the coming week beginning 15th October. This work is programmed to last for approximately one week.
This work will consist of new kerbs and paving being laid in keeping with the scheme already completed in Bromley Road. It will commence from the end of the newly laid paving adjacent to St Georges Church and run along Bromley Road and finish at the junction with St Georges Road.
To facilitate this phase of the work some traffic management will be in place. Bus Stop E just before the junction with St Georges Road will be temporarily closed. TfL will endeavour to relocate a temporary stop within a short distance away.
For more information, please visit :-
tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/temporary-bus-changes
Every effort is being made to minimise disruption and your understanding and support is appreciated in advance if there are unforeseen issues which need to be resolved. If further specific information is needed, please contact Conway’s Helen McConnell who can be contacted, for help and advice. Helen, the Liaison Officer is the scheme contact for businesses and residents. Helen can be contacted on Mobile Tel 07917 518 529 or email Beckenham@fmconway.co.uk if needed.
Beckenham Green is our town square; a place to bring the community together for recreation, business, learning and events. We want to improve this space so it will be used and enjoyed by more people.
Crowdfund London provides an opportunity to pitch new ideas for community-led projects to make your local area even better. The Mayor wants to back the best crowdfunding campaigns with pledges of up to £50K.
Using the £200K plus that has already been spent on Beckenham Green as part of the improvement scheme, the £35K Bromley Council have committed to spend on a stage canopy, plus the in-kind contributions of local volunteers the Copers Cope Area Residents Association have created a bid requesting up to £50K from the Mayor of London’s fund.
We spoke to Crownfund London and they loved our idea :-). If our project, “Beckenham Green – Community of Commons” gets over 100 backers to show it has local support, we have a really good chance of winning up to £50k, so please pledge your support.
Pledge here: www.spacehive.com/communityofcommons
We want to create a ‘community of commons’ in the heart of the town, on Beckenham Green. ‘Commons’ are cultural and natural resources open to everyone. Beckenham Green is our natural resource, but it is underused and requires landscaping and recreational improvements.
Bromley Council are funding a Stage Canopy on Beckenham Green. This will be a great cultural focal point. To get the best use out of it we need to additional equipment to enable a diverse range of community groups to run activities on Beckenham Green.
There are so many great local groups, clubs and organisations with a huge range of interests and lots of great ideas for engaging with the wider community. Running community activities however large or small can be costly due to the need of hiring or buying and storing various equipment. This project will purchase the equipment needed and make improvements to the green itself.
This is a great project and we have a great chance of winning the bid. The Mayor of London’s fund needs to see that the project has local support through local crowd funding. So please go online and pledge to show your support, a fiver or just a quid can make all the difference in helping Beckenham secure £50,000.
Pledge here: www.spacehive.com/communityofcommons
A jam packed day of free entertainment on Beckenham Green, plus market stalls, fun-fair and street food. For the kids there is a book reading from local author, Casey L Adams, with titles such as ‘Body Goo’ and ‘Don’t Splat the Spider’. Plus special guest Minecraft (look-a-like) on stage with a dance party. We have ukulele’s from Penge, the return of one our favourite acts Joseph Pitula-Riley, Soulbirds Choir and new band A Grand Scheme makes is debut in Beckenham.
Plus market stalls, fun-fair, street food – check out the full line up here. Hope you can come along.
£300 million of Government funding up for grabs
In July 2018, the Department for Transport published its Inclusive Transport Strategy, and announced that up to £300 million of Government funding would be made available for step-free access improvements at railway stations in Great Britain between 2019 and 2024, including lifts, subways and bridges. We want as much of that money as possible to be used to improve Southeastern stations, and are asking passengers and stakeholders to nominate their local station.
Step-free access improvements have already been made at 13 Southeastern stations in recent years, including Herne Hill, Gravesend and Canterbury West.
The Government is expected to announce in early 2019 which stations will benefit, and we’re asking our passengers to help us make a really strong case, so that a significant slice of the £300m Access for All fund is spent on installing step-free access at Southeastern stations.
How to nominate your local stations
Nominations can be made online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/southeasternrailway and need to be submitted by Sunday 30 September 2018.
Be careful in this hot weather. Eight hectares of grass caught alight by Monks Orchard Road Beckenham.
https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/incidents/2018/july/grass-fire-beckenham/
Completed works
Phase 5 works Lidl to Village Way.
From Monday the 21st the junction between Burnhill Road and Kelsey Square has been closed to traffic. Kelsey Lane remains two-way between Uplands and Wayside where it is closed to traffic. Pedestrian access is maintained from Burnhill Road, Kelsey Square and Kelsey Lane to the High Street. This set up will be monitored to see if additional signage will be required. From Fairfield Road to Kelsey Park Road the one way will be reversed meaning traffic will drive up Fairfield and exit Burnhill Road.
These arrangements have been negotiated with local residents at a consultation meeting.
Phase 6 War Memorial roundabout to Burrell Road
War Memorial Roundabout
Scheme Programme
For reference the main High Street improvements are due to be completed in September with only snagging of small defects and some design details to be installed after this date.
Hours of Operation
In order to maintain access to all shop entrances pavement laying will have to be conducted out of normal hours between 18pm and 20pm on some days. We do understand that this can be a nuisance and FM Conway will endeavour to keep noise disturbance to a minimum during these times.
Traffic Management
Left hand turns from Village Way onto the High Street are now banned. The right hand turn from The Drive onto The High Street has also been restricted. All traffic will be sent on the main diversion along the High Street heading towards Beckenham junction then onto Rectory Road. This is likely to be in place until the end of the project to allow the contractor to work safely in those areas.
Bus route changes
TfL have advised that:
Bus routes 54, 227, 352, 354, 367 and N3 are diverted in one direction
All diverted routes should return to normal when the road closures end, expected to be in late September 2018
For more information, please visit tfl.gov.uk/modes/buses/temporary-bus-changes
Business Rates
Business Rates are not something that the council is responsible for. The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for setting the rateable value of commercial properties and has been notified about the extent and timescales for the Beckenham scheme. The VOA have stated:
“In line with similar schemes in other boroughs, the VOA is intending to apply a temporary reduction of up to 10% of the rateable value of retail properties which are directly affected by the works. These reductions will be phased to reflect the phasing of the scheme itself and will be applied to affected businesses only for the duration of the applicable phase. For example, previously a business located in the High Street between Thornton’s Corner and Rectory Road would be provided with a temporary reduction between the start of Phase 1 (13 March 2017) and end of Phase 2 (circa August 2017).
Changes can now only be made by the Valuation Office to the system from 1 April 2017. Unless a Ratepayer has made a valid 2010 proposal against their Rateable Value that remains outstanding.
Reductions will be applied retrospectively for the phases that have occurred since the 1st April 2017. By mid-May the VOA will be writing directly to businesses affected by the appropriate phases of work to provide full details of the proposed temporary reductions for their individual properties.
Customers will need a CHECK by registering through the Find and check your business rates valuation. This will confirm the facts about their property. After a CHECK of the property details has been completed the customer is entitled to submit a Challenge to the valuation. After 8 May, customers will have the opportunity to group themselves together with Challenge cases which are about the same valuation issue”.
The VOA can be contacted at:
Tel: 03000 501501
Email: ratingsoutheast@voa.gsi.gov.uk
Copers Cope Area Residents' Association (CCARA) & West Beckenham Residents' Association (WBRA) 